Meplat, Ogive
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Ogive
Ogive is a very old term with its start in geometry and architecture as being a curved way to finish off a line. Generally it is a compound or changing rate of curvature. They can be constructed from circle radii, parabolas, ellipses or mathematical progressions to suit its need. Missiles and high speed aircraft use ogives to minimize drag, as well as bullets.
Meplat is easier. Many military and weapons terms come from the French, and meplat is French for 'flat'.
Ogive is a very old term with its start in geometry and architecture as being a curved way to finish off a line. Generally it is a compound or changing rate of curvature. They can be constructed from circle radii, parabolas, ellipses or mathematical progressions to suit its need. Missiles and high speed aircraft use ogives to minimize drag, as well as bullets.
Meplat is easier. Many military and weapons terms come from the French, and meplat is French for 'flat'.
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hdwhit
Member
DWalt
Member
There are at least two types of circular ogives, tangent and secant, depending upon how the curve intersects the cylindrical base. And the radius of the ogival curve can be large or small and is usually represented in calibers, e.g., a three-caliber ogive radius for a .308 diameter bullet would be 3 x.308" = .924". The greater the ogive radius, the longer the bullet nose, and generally the greater the ballistic coefficient. A true conical (or truncated conical) bullet nose has essentially an infinite ogive radius and is necessarily a secant ogive. A true spherical bullet nose is a tangent ogive with a radius of 1/2 caliber.
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DWalt
Member
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
I know from experience that neither word is included in the official Scrabble dictionary.
Seen in.....
....Gothic arches. Think inside a gothic cathedral and it's easy to picture.
....Gothic arches. Think inside a gothic cathedral and it's easy to picture.
We used to generate.....
We used to generate ogives on the drawing board back in the days that I used one. Cadd made it much easier. You couldn't get me to go back to the drawing board for ANYTHING.
We used to generate ogives on the drawing board back in the days that I used one. Cadd made it much easier. You couldn't get me to go back to the drawing board for ANYTHING.
gwpercle
Member
Meplat....French , meaning flat .
Ogive ....French , meaning curved or tapered
I knew that French we speak in Louisiana would come in handy !
Gary
Ogive ....French , meaning curved or tapered
I knew that French we speak in Louisiana would come in handy !
Gary
I'm not sure...
I'm not sure that the rounded nose of a spitzer can be called a meplat. Would it be a continuing of the side ogives until they meet at the top????
That is interesting, though, about the 0.10 cal of the military spitzer. I should have a diameter of 0.03? (nominally)? Which gives it a radius of 0.015???
Nerds like me find that to be cool beans.
I'm not sure that the rounded nose of a spitzer can be called a meplat. Would it be a continuing of the side ogives until they meet at the top????
That is interesting, though, about the 0.10 cal of the military spitzer. I should have a diameter of 0.03? (nominally)? Which gives it a radius of 0.015???
Nerds like me find that to be cool beans.
DWalt
Member
At least for US military cartridges, such as the 7.62 NATO, there is a definite meplat on the bullet tip, and it is specifically called out on the bullet drawing. In the case of the 7.62mm M60 bullet, it is specified as 0.06" maximum diameter. The .50 M2 Ball round's bullet drawing specifies a 0.120" maximum meplat diameter. The M855 bullet (5.56mm) meplat diameter specification is 0.040" maximum.
Some handgun ball rounds (such as 9mm and .45 ACP) and the .30 Carbine specify a hemispherical tip on bullets, with an ogive below.
Some handgun ball rounds (such as 9mm and .45 ACP) and the .30 Carbine specify a hemispherical tip on bullets, with an ogive below.
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